Exploring domestic garden identities: personal histories from older people in the Netherlands

Abstract

Domestic gardens are spaces imbued with meaning, expression, and identity. This paper seeks to explore garden identities across their lifespan in the Netherlands by investigating older people’s personal histories through thematic analysis. Oral history interviews (n = 20) were conducted in 2019 with residents living in Breda and Tilburg, two medium-sized cities in the south of the Netherlands. The findings suggest that garden identities change over time and are likely to be developed during childhood. Gardening, garden trends, and socio-economic factors can influence and change garden identities. This paper addresses a gap in existing literature and explores garden identities, underscoring the importance of gardens across the lifespan to liveability and sense of self. It argues that valuing everyday objects like gardens helps to plan and design green, liveable, and inclusive neighbourhoods in cities.